The problem of pollution from automobiles is now very well recognized, and national, state and local laws have been passed requiring corrections. Attempts at solving the problem of pollution by cars have steadily been accompanied by decreasing the performance of the vehicle, making it harder to start and hard to stop when ignition is turned off due to auto-ignition, more critical to keep in adjustment and less drivable, less powerful, and less economical.
It has previously been proposed to inject water and steam into the induction systems of reciprocating piston internal combustion engines.
The prior art proposals for the injection of water or steam can be dividable primarily into two areas. The water or steam was injected either directly into the vacuum in the inlet manifold or was injected as a part of the throttle linkage speed control. In either case the prior art fluid injection systems did not produce the injection of sufficient amounts of fluid over the full engine operating range and/or gave excessive amounts under some conditions and did not supply fluid as needed.
In the vacuum control system the fluid was not injected in correct amounts at idle (normally being too much) and at full load was quite insufficient.
In both the former vacuum control and the throttle linkage control systems little or no fluid was injected during acceleration at full throttle under full load from low speed. This is precisely the time when the maximum amount of fluid injection is needed.